One Night
by rozukitsune
Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.
1. Prologue

One Night

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it.

Key:

-_Dream State_- , _Flashback_ , '_thoughts_', "Dialogue"

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: M – (For mature audiences)

Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Sakura

AN: Yes this is an S/E fic, here by popular demand. Deal with it. :3

(Prologue)

_Bodies intertwined atop the soft, white, silken sheets. Passion and sweat scenting the room, invading the dark curtains, seeping into the dark wooden desk. Delicate feminine fingers, clawing desperately at his pale unmarred skin, clenched and unclenched as they sought out his strength, which he readily gave to her. Hard male lips mashing relentlessly against her mouth, her jaw, her breasts. Gasps and moans of illicit pleasure from them both, tickling their ears, feeding their passion. _

"_Eriol!"_

_She called his name, but the sound was lost as he captured her tongue with his teeth. He met no resistance as he sheathed himself within her body, again... and again. Having her in his bed was everything he had ever dreamed it would be, and so much more. He gripped her tightly, instinctively knowing, in spite of his inebriation, that this could never last beyond the dawn. This night would be over as soon as it had begun... _

"_Sakura..." he groaned softly, coming to the brink... and then..._

_Emotion, raw and untethered exploded within them, rocking them both to the core as he came inside of her. She followed his climax shortly, and for a few precious moments, there was nothing but the shaking sound of her breath, coming down off the roller coaster they'd both been on as one._

_The moon twinkled innocently in the night sky above, shining amongst the stars in the heavens, giving no indication that anything unusual had passed this evening, just like every evening before, and as it would every evening after. The crickets chirped, the breeze blew, but for one unlikely couple... the world had changed forever._


	2. She loved him first

One Night

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it.

Key:

-_Dream State_- , _Flashback_ , '_thoughts_', "Dialogue"

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: M – (For mature audiences)

Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Sakura

(She loved him first)

_Six months earlier..._

Sakura Kinomoto was just your average college student. She stood about 5' 4 or 6" and had long auburn hair that fell all the way down to her waist. Her bangs fell over eyes that were a bright and vibrant green, and clearly reflected exactly the way she was feeling at any one moment. She kept a lock of hair from each side of her head tied with a set of red, ball-ended scrunchies.

She'd lived her whole life in the small town of Tomoeda, Japan and was well known and loved by quite a lot of the people who lived there. Whether they were small shop owners, teachers, or even kids her own age, they had all been touched by her pure heart at one point or another and always welcomed the pleasantly cheerful smile she gave them whenever she was about.

Her best friend was Tomoyo Daidouji, the two of them had known each other ever since they were toddlers, and had been the best of friends for as long as either of them could remember. Tomoyo was the daughter of a wealthy family, her mother a popular clothing designer, and was constantly dressing Sakura up with her own creations and taking pictures of her doing things in them. She had long violet hair that reached almost all the way down to the heels of her shoes, which she kept tied up in a half-bun at the top of her head to keep it at about knee-height.

Sakura had actually just graduated high school a few months ago, and was enjoying every minute of the life of an adult. The freedom of being away from home, after years of being tormented by her older brother, Touya, were behind her now, as she'd gotten a full scholarship for cheerleading and was now living in a dorm on the campus itself.

Her highschool sweetheart, Syaoran Li, had also been accepted into her college, and the two were exploring their relationship free from the constraints of family pressure and age limitations. Syaoran was handsome, and one of the most popular young men in the area. He exuded a sort of untouchable aura that made him irrisistable to most girls wherever he went, but he had no trouble reassuring Sakura time and again that his chocolate brown eyes had no one but her in their sights.

Not that she needed the reassurance, she wasn't like any of those other girls, who were at best flighty and only really wanted Syaoran because he was taken and rarely ever smiled, she loved him because of who he was, the kind and loyal young man who dropped everything to follow her. She was constantly somewhat proud of this fact, and knew one day she would be returning the favor by leaving her home to join him in his.

At least, that was where she hoped it was going, but as it was nothing had really changed much yet in their relationship. Sure he kissed her from time to time and held her... but something told her that he was holding back. Like he was afraid of moving too fast. Well, Sakura just hoped that spending more time with him would help soften him a bit.


	3. Stranger

One Night

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it.

Key:

-_Dream State_- , _Flashback_ , '_thoughts_', "Dialogue"

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: M – (For mature audiences)

Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Sakura

(Stranger)

_..._

Sakura sat in her first class of the day, doodling a strange little creature that looked somewhat like a plush bear (except that it was more like a cat with a long tail and the ears were in the wrong place) down the margins of the syllubus she had just been handed for the start of the semester. The TA had explained that the teacher would be just a little late and that he had given her the boring task of explaining the rules of classroom behavior to the students until he arrived. The auburn-haired young woman found it amusing that one of the very first rules the teacher (who was apparently arriving fresh from the airport) had on the syllubus was about arriving to class on time.

Actually, Sakura was fairly certain the irony was not lost on most of the students as she heard a few chuckles erupt across the isles as the TA informed them that their instructor expected them to be on time for all of the classes.

The first day of a new class was always uninteresting and filled with nonsense that was repeated over and over again throughout the course of the day. Honestly, didn't any teachers ever think that maybe the students already knew everything they were going to say on day one by now? The rules of the classes never changed... and the grading systems varied so little they might as well have been copied and pasted from one syllabus to the next. The only thing that differed was the list of assignments they were expected to complete, which honestly could be read on their own time, and the mission statement of the class, which nobody cared about.

Sighing restlessly, Sakura turned and glanced out the window at the expansive tennis courts just a few stories below her classroom and wished fervently she could be outside instead of here in this stuffy room.

The door to the classroom clicked open suddenly, catching the attention of the students closest it. Sakura reluctantly turned her attention away from the lovely sunny day outside of her window at the unmistakable sound of surprised indrawn breaths being taken at the sight of their instructor. Wondering what could have possibly interested them about the person that had entered, she turned her green eyes towards the door...

The world fell out from beneath her feet... for standing just inside of the doorway, closing the wooden door gently behind him, was surely the most enchanting young man she had ever seen. She barely noted the TA's small mysterious smile as the man entered, as she was so distracted by his presence she could barely think at all.

He was tall, standing at about 6'2", and fair skinned, with short well-kept midnight-blue hair that fell perfectly around his face giving him an air of mystery. He adjusted a pair of half-moon glasses as he turned, his stormy gray eyes meeting hers for only a moment before he glanced away again, adjusting his black pinstriped suit and picking up a small black briefcase off the floor before crossing the room to his desk.

The TA set the syllabus on the desk as he sat down, then excused herself from the room.

Sakura was spellbound, as though there was nothing at all that mattered in the world but her observation of this stranger.

He got up and wrote his name on the board in Kanji, something that most of the students hadn't expected, then wrote it again in english. Satisfied, he turned to the class, most of which sighed appreciatively as soon as he looked upon them, then began to speak.

"Hello everyone... I apologize for my lateness, my flight was delayed unexpectedly due to a small storm that nearly cost me the entire day. How many of you are aware of the sort of weather normally visited upon England? Ah, good, good. Yes, as you may or may not be aware, that is where I am from."

The female students mumbled snippets of forgiveness, all deciding simultaneously that they would rather die than hold a grudge against this breathtaking individual.

Smiling quietly as the class unanimously absolved him, he nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, and I assure you it will not happen again. Now then, my name is Eriol Hiiragizawa... I wrote it here in both your language and mine so that you can appreciate the differences in the way the languages look."

And so the rest of the session was spent analyzing the scripts on the board and theorizing why it was that the Japanese insisted on introducing themselves by their last names rather than their first as the English did.

An hour passed as though it had been only a few minutes, and when Eriol signaled the end of the class, an unhappy groan flitted through the classroom as students reluctantly packed their stuff away and dragged themselves out of the room and to their next class.

Sakura was one of the last to leave, finding herself to be extra sluggish in the putting away of her materials. It was all she could do to consentrate on sticking one notebook in beside another, making sure they fit in the flattest available arrangement. Her brain was still completely scrambled, and she was certain it would remain that way at least until she could get the handsome englishman out of her sight.

At last, all of her stuff seemed to be cooperating in her bag. She double and triple checked that all of her zippered pockets were closed, then hefted the bag over her shoulders, only to turn around and find the teacher directly behind her.

She dropped the bag in surprise. She hadn't heard him approach...

"Oh my, forgive me... I didn't mean to startle you." Eriol said quietly, reaching around to help her pick up her pack.

She instinctively slapped his hand away, then immediately regretted her defense of her property at the hurt expression that crossed her teacher's handsome face.

"I... I'm sorry." Sakura stammered, embarrased by the action. Eriol's face smoothed back into a soft smile and he reached once more behind her to pick up her bag and hand it to her.

"Not at all." He said softly as his hands briefly touched hers. "I only came over to see if everything was alright... you seemed to be having a difficult time with your things."

Sakura's skin burned where his had touched hers. His hands were so soft... soft and smooth, yet containing a power just underneath... a power that sent fire through her veins and set a soft blush upon her cheeks.

"Oh... uh... thank you, but I'm fine." She managed barely, finding it difficult to do anything but stare. She had to get away... he was so close... she wanted to...

He bowed, taking her hand in his without a word and pressed it gently to his lips. "Then, my dear, I shall be taking my leave." He smiled, then turned and made his way out of the classroom, leaving Sakura standing frozen in place.

_'He kissed... he...'_ Sakura's brain was fried. She couldn't concentrate at all in any of the rest of her classes. Tomoyo, who was in a few of Sakura's more general classes, couldn't help but notice her best friend's odd behavior but said nothing until they had their break between classes.

"Goodness, are you alright Sakura-chan? You've been out of it all day..." Tomoyo asked worriedly, feeling her friends forehead for a temperature.

Sakura roused herself out of her stupor and shook her head as if shaking off the last remnants of a dream from her mind and blinked at her friend's hand. "Oh... Tomoyo... yes, I'm fine."

Tomoyo tilted her head in disbelief, "Are you sure? Maybe we should take you to the nurse anyway, just in case."

Sakura laughed nervously and shook her head. "Hah, no... really I'm fine Tomoyo-chan, I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed. Not much going on today but hearing the syllubus being explained over and over again by different people, yet I still feel like I've crammed so much into my brain in the last few hours that there isn't any room left in there for the rest of the semester!"

Tomoyo laughed, glad to see her friend acting normally again, "I know what you mean! But don't worry, you'll forget everything you heard and saw today by the time midterms roll around, you'll be so busy studying!"

"Hah! You can say that again!" Sakura giggled, and normalcy was at last restored. The rest of the day, however, found Sakura's mind restructuring what exactly had occurred earlier that day.

_'Ok, the teacher is good looking...'_ She admitted quietly to herself _'but I can't let that distract me so much! I've got a boyfriend for crying out loud and I love Syaoran with all of my heart.'_ She thought that last part with effortless conviction, and found herself feeling relieved that her heart didn't seem to have actually changed its alliance in spite of her behaviour earlier in the day.

_'Yes, I love Syaoran-kun... and we are going to live happily ever after.'_ She reminded herself cheerfully, then skipped merrily along to the rest of her classes.


	4. English

One Night

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it.

Key:

-_Dream State_- , _Flashback_ , '_thoughts_', "Dialogue"

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: M – (For mature audiences)

Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Sakura

(English)

_..._

Sakura averted her gaze from the front of the classroom from that day onward. Everyone acted as they always did. There was laughter, drama, love, pain... everything going all around her as it always had. There was Tomoyo's cheerful chatter about her photography class and occasional dates on the weekends with Syaoran and everything was normal.

Everything was normal... or was it?

Sakura had never outright ignored anyone before... but this mission she had set for herself was nearly impossible. It was impossible to avoid being called on to answer a question, she couldn't avoid his enchanting gray eyes... it was like agony every time she handed in a paper and their fingers touched, even if briefly, and her skin burst into flames. It was absolute torture giving a presentation at the front of the class, knowing he was standing -right there-.

And the stares... she couldn't avoid those either. The stares from all of her envious female classmates that their gorgeous instructor seemed to favor her above all of the others. That he seemed to take time out against her will to help her even though she'd never asked him to do it... that she seemed to get the best grades even though they were certain that she was no better than them.

The stares from her best friend, who even though she never said a word, somehow seemed to know that something was up. That something was wrong, when the Sakura she'd known forever was acting somewhat withdrawn, keeping secrets, behaving _differently_.

The stares from her boyfriend, who sensed a shift in her and would do anything she asked if only he could somehow stop whatever was happening to her from doing something terrible, irreversible.

"Syaoran" Sakura muttered irritably over dinner one evening, surprizing the chinese male. "Would you please stop babying me? Aug!" She threw her hands up into the air and stormed out of the restaurant, leaving the brunet to scramble after her after throwing enough money on the table to pay for the bill.

"Sakura, please! Wait!" He begged, racing after her. He caught up to her before she got far and grasped her lithe body tightly in his arms. She turned to look at him over her shoulder, shocked to the core at the pained expression on his face. What had she done to hurt him so? How could she have ever imagined that she could ever make him look at her like that.

Tears rolled like fire down her cheeks, "I... I'm sorry... I don't know what's come over me." She managed, turning into his embrace, suddenly desperate... craving forgiveness she knew she didn't deserve.

"Sakura... I don't understand what is happening with you lately." He muttered sadly, crushing her against him as though he were trying to keep her from disappearing. She didn't mind, she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms...

Kind gray eyes flashed through her mind and she flailed, forcing Syaoran off of her before she could stop herself. He stared at her, horrified.

"I... I'm sorry Syaoran-kun. Please, I promise I will be better tomorrow." Sakura said, edging away from him towards her house.

Syaoran reached a hand out for her, his brown eyes begging her silently to come back to him. "Sakura..."

"I'm just tired and stressed out from all of the homework I have, that's all. I'll be my old self again in no time." She smiled thinly, then raced off into the distance, trying to outrun her pounding heart.

She couldn't avoid him, she had to pass his class... she couldn't stall her pounding heart whenever she saw him walking through the halls... she couldn't force herself to stop staring at him anytime he said anything. Impossible to ignore...

And yet he was a stranger... she didn't know him at all outside of the classroom. And other than helping her out from time to time, she abruptly realized he never seemed to spare even a second glance for her. The other students believed that he favored her over them, but how could that be true if he hardly spoke to her, if he hardly touched her...

Sakura rubbed her temples in frustration, midterms were approaching quickly and with all of the pressure she was getting from all possible places in her life, she had finally just sort of run away from it all and found a secluded portion of the campus to hide in for a few minutes of blissful silence.

"That bad, huh?" Teased a familiar voice approaching from the only entry into the small space she'd found.

Sakura jumped in surprise as the englishman settled himself down beside her without a word, going about the mundane actions of taking his lunch out of his briefcase.

"Sen...sensei Hiiragizawa-kun" She stammered in japanese out of reflex, then kicked herself mentally for being incapable of holding herself together even for five seconds.

"Relax Kinomoto-san. You have been all wound up ever since my first day here. Honestly, if I didn't know better, I'd think you didn't like me very much." He teased in fluent japanese, taking out a couple of teacups and a thermos. He poured a steaming clear liquid into each of the cups and then settled a small tea bag in each cup, then proceeded to hand one to her.

She stared at the cup uncomprehendingly as he attempted to hand it to her, then slowly took it from him, frowning in confusion. "What is this for?"

Eriol chuckled as he unwrapped his lunch, "Drink it, it will calm your nerves. I promise there's nothing strange in there. It's just hot water and tea leaves."

Blinking, she blew softly on the water then took a tentative sip, surprized by the light and warm flavor of the tea. After a few more sips, she realized she really did feel like the weight of world had been lifted slightly... and she began to relax, smiling in quiet appreciation.

"Thank you, sir... I really needed that." Sakura said, in english this time.

Eriol smiled from behind his tuna-fish sandwich and nodded, wiping his face on a napkin and swallowing before speaking. "I thought as much, and please... my name is Eriol. 'Sir' is far too stuffy for me."

Sakura blushed and took another couple of sips. "E-eriol... then."

He smiled and took a few sips of his own tea. "That's better, I thought I'd never see you smile... your smile is truly beautiful Kinomoto-san."

Sakura flushed and beamed at him, "Sakura, since you insist on first-names."

Chuckling he nodded, "Sakura, then. So, Sakura, how are you enjoying my class?"

Sakura turned her eyes to her own obento, "Uh... well it's..."

Eriol smiled softly in understanding, "Not so easy ne? Don't feel so bad, english is one of the hardest languages for anyone to learn. The rules are always changing, and what rules there are are constantly broken."

"No, it's not that." Sakura sat in silent shock a moment at her sudden outburst then recovered and continued with more control. "I, mean... uh..."

Eriol studied her a moment and their eyes locked. He was so captivating, the storm in his eyes swirling dark one moment, then light the next. He leaned forward, a single hand reaching out almost as though he had no control over it, reaching towards her. Then, just before his fingertips touched her cheek, he seemed to suddenly realize what he was doing and pulled away.

Sakura couldn't breath, did that... did he...

"I'm sorry." Eriol muttered softly, so quiet in fact, she almost didn't hear it.

"Nani?" What was there to be sorry for? Sakura had no idea.

Shaking his head a moment, he turned to her with a forced smile and sighed. "I'm throwing a little, uh, post-midterm party at my place next week, would you be interested in attending?" He asked timidly.

_'Is he... asking me out?'_ She wondered, then decided that if it was a party he was inviting everyone to, that there was nothing unusual about him inviting her as well. She was almost disappointed that he really wasn't asking her alone... then she caught herself.

_'Do... do I -want- him to ask me out?'_ She thought in surprise, then shook her head. _'No, I have Syaoran and I'm happy with him!'_ She thought forcibly ignoring the twinge of unhappiness she felt at the thought.

"Oh... alright then." Eriol commented, and Sakura realized he thought she had been shaking her head at him. "Well, I guess I'll see you in class, anyway." he picked up his things and made to leave her in peace.

"Eriol, wait!" Sakura managed, dragging herself out of her inner monologue. The englishman turned, tilting his head at her curiously.

"Uh... sure, I'll come to your party." She nearly shouted, causing him to raise an eyebrow. Then he smiled, and she thought there was surely nothing she wouldn't do to see him smile like that.

"Then I'll see you there." He said, and swept out of the yard without another word. Sakura wondered blindly what she had just agreed to...


	5. Party

One Night

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it.

Key:

-_Dream State_- , _Flashback_ , '_thoughts_', "Dialogue"

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: M – (For mature audiences)

Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Sakura

(Party)

_..._

Sakura was surprised how many people had turned out, certainly everyone who was in one of Eriol's classes had attended... and Sakura was pretty certain that some of them had brought girlfriends/boyfriends... and that they had then turned around and invited other friends.

In any case, the place was absolutely stuffed with people dancing and having a good time. Sakura had opted not to invite Syaoran, since she was pretty sure he'd be jealous either way once he saw the way everyone seemed to gravitate around Eriol (including herself).

She sat at the bar, drinking, alone... until the man she'd been dreaming about settled into the barstool beside her and downed a scotch.

"Ahh." He sighed contentedly, grinning at her after a moment. "Isn't this party great?"

Sakura smiled and tipped down the remainder of her strawberry margarita in agreement. "Mmm... sure is."

Eriol blinked at her sarcasm and raised an eyebrow. "Not enjoying yourself?"

Sakura tilted her head at him and shrugged, "That's pretty much impossible... my boyfriend isn't here... I don't really feel like talking to anyone... makes it hard." She slurred a little, waving her arms dramatically.

Eriol chuckled and had himself another drink, "I see... any particular reason you feel like beating yourself up? This is supposed to be a party. You were invited so that you could relax a little before finals."

"Yeah, well everyone hates me just 'cause you talk to me. Did you know that?" Sakura grinned sadly, surprising the young man greatly.

"What? Why?" Eriol asked in shock.

"Oh don't pretend like you don't notice." Sakura slurred impatiently, "You're only the most handsome, most available teachers on campus. Every single girl in this room fantasizes about getting you alone and stripping you naked. You'd have to be blind not to realize that they think it's unfair that you seem to prefer me over anyone else when I'm already taken..."

She seemed to realize what she was saying and, blushing profusely, downed another margarita.

Eriol stared at her in astonishment, then his eyes flashed briefly in pain. "That's only because you're the one woman in the whole world that I have ever felt anything at all for..." He said softly. Sakura stared at him open mouthed as he downed another scotch before continuing, staring dejectedly at his empty shot glass as the alchohol burned its way through his body.

"The first day of class I saw you and after years of struggling through my own personal cloud of indifference towards romance, suddenly there you were... shining a light into my life that I couldn't avoid."

His eyes rose up to meet hers, and she found herself lost within their stormy depths.

"I wanted you so bad, but you were already happy... I can't take that away from you... I can't be responsible for..."

Her lips were on his faster than he could register, she had somehow slid off of her barstool and into his lap in the time it had taken him to find the correct level of drunkeness that allowed him to bare his soul...

That same level that had allowed Sakura to do something so bold as to kiss the man she'd been itching to touch for months...


	6. The beginning

One Night

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it.

Key:

-_Dream State_- , _Flashback_ , '_thoughts_', "Dialogue"

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: M – (For mature audiences)

Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Sakura

(The beginning)

_Her kisses burned a blazing trail down his skin bringing his body to life with the simplest touch, the lightest scratch, the toughest bite._

_He could only groan in ecstasy as she unbottoned his shirt and slid her tongue against his throat and along his collar bones, her fingers inching their way up his sleeves, searching, gripping._

_He siezed her bottom and drew her legs around his torso, getting to his feet with only the vaguest of staggers, muttering something in her ear about needing someplace private. _

_She still wasn't sure how they'd managed to make it into the room and she had no idea whether or not he'd locked the door behind them, but none of that mattered when he lowered her onto the mattress and started returning her wildfire kisses. He nearly tore her top in two in his haste to get beneath the clothing between them and cup her bare breasts in his hands._

_Her hips rose to greet his and she cried out his name as he removed her shirt with his teeth. He took her taut nipples into his mouth and bit gently on them elicting a gasp of mingled pleasure and pain from her. He slicked his tongue around her areola to ease the pain, then removed his shirt, revealing his pale chiseled body for her inspection. _

_She kissed him fervently, every portion of his body, every inch of his skin. He needed to be kissed, he needed to know the passion flowing through her body. There was no control, only desire, and it was driving her crazier by the minute._

_They were both naked before long, she raked her nails along his growing shaft taking it into her mouth, regardless of however much of a novice she was, she felt pride at the way he gasped and writhed beneath her touch._

_He shouted something half garbled, then dragged her back down beside him. He was inside of her in a moment, she cried out and he silenced her with his mouth._

_It burned, it burned and yet the sensation wasn't a bad one... in fact she wanted more, and she told him so, tugging at his earlobe with her teeth. _

_He groaned and answered her call, thrusting retreating... and thrusting again._

_There was nothing... nothing but passion, nothing but the meeting of two soulmates... so perfectly matched... _

_doomed from the beginning._


	7. Dreaming memories

One Night

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it.

Key:

-_Dream State_- , _Flashback_ , '_thoughts_', "Dialogue"

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: M – (For mature audiences)

Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Sakura

* * *

(Dreaming memories)_  
_

The next few weeks passed by in a daze. Sakura couldn't be entirely sure of what was real... and what was fiction. She had woken up at home, after the strangest erotic dream she'd ever had. Dream... yes... or was it? Her memory was so hazy about what had really happened during the party. She got up, went to class, spoke with her friends and teachers, all on automatic. Nightly her dreams ravaged her mind, repeating, relishing... but when the morning dawned she was back in her own bed next to Tomoyo once more, and the shadowy remnants fled before she could grasp them.

She barely even noticed the way everyone stared at her as she walked from class to class. She didn't seem to recognize her own hands as they wrote down notes, didn't register the words as she read her assignments. She couldn't remember anything Tomoyo had said about her latest design exploits, completely missed the quiet, despairing look her best friend gave her at her automated responses. And Syaoran? It seemed he had vanished from her life altogether... breezing in and out of her company as though he were on fire every time he came into contact with her.

Even staring at her handsome English instructor didn't seem to pull her from her automated state. But he alone seemed to be completely unaffected by her lack of reaction to him.

Finally one evening in which she happened to be on a date with Syaoran, her mind clicked back into place. Sakura shook her head in surprise, looked around, then frowned in confusion at the brunet on the other side of the table.

"I'm sorry, Syaoran... could you repeat what you just said?" She staggered, her brain grasping on the fly that he had been trying to have an important conversation with her, and she hadn't registered any of it at all.

"Sakura..." Syaoran sighed, running a frustrated hand through his chocolate hair. "This... this isn't working. I don't know what's up with you lately... but... I can't take it anymore. After this semester is done I'm going home. It's over."

Sakura reeled. Images of past dates just like this flashed through her mind. Memories of him pleading with her to tell him what was wrong... images of her complete lack of reaction... like she didn't even care... like she wasn't even there... not for him. Not anymore.

"Syaoran... wait!" She cried at last as he tossed his napkin on the table and started to get up. The intensity of her voice took him by surprise. He hazarded a glance at her, surprised to see the light in her eyes. That brilliant light that had attracted him to her so long ago...

"Syaoran please!" She was crying, he had tried for so long to get some emotion out of her. Any at all... and now that it was too late... now she was crying.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I really am... maybe if you had wanted to talk to me before... but you've changed. I don't know what it is... and I don't know why. I tried everything... I can't waste my time with this anymore. I'm sorry." Feeling terrible, Syaoran left the green-eyed girl sobbing alone, heart breaking inside.

She cried alone for hours at the restaurant... and when they kicked her out she stumbled along down the dark streets. The streetlights on her way home would have provided plenty of light for her to see by, even in her tearful state, but she was so upset she didn't even know which way to stagger, and eventually found herself in a much different area of town. Streetlight-less... moonless... alone.

* * *

"Sakura?"

A voice called her back from non-existence, back from the brink of peace. A voice she recognized, a touch that whispered of contained power... burned her back to reality.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she looked upon her rescuer. The englishman sighed heavily with relief and sat back in his chair, wiping his forehead with a white handkerchief.

"Thank heavens... you're alright. I thought we'd lost you..."

"What... what happened?" Sakura croaked, shocked at the sound of her cracked voice.

Eriol's face flickered with an unnamed emotion before he hid it with a relieved smile. "I found you in an alleyway... the doctor's said you'd slept in that cold place all night long. The rain had soaked you to the bone... I'd thought for certain that you were dead, you were so lifeless and cold, but I guess your clothing kept you warm enough that when I found you on my evening walk you had not yet succumbed to hypothermia. Still, if I hadn't happened upon you when I did..."

Sakura shivered, then struggled to get up, but Eriol placed a gentle hand on her chest, shaking his head.

"No, please... please rest."

The pain in his eyes shook her completely. She hardly knew him, yet this stranger from England had clearly been touched by her near-death experience.

"You're not nearly strong enough to get up right now... and the doctor still isn't certain that your near-death didn't adversely affect your child."

A coughing fit seized her before Sakura could make any sort of coherent reply. Child? **_Child?_** What child?

Panicked emerald eyes sought out stormy gray. Eriol just shrugged, interpreting her glance incorrectly, "As I said, we don't know yet if it's alright, but please try to calm down, it's had more than enough trauma for one day already without you panicking as well."

Sakura's head spun, what on Earth was he even talking about? All the pieces of the puzzle were laid on the floor of her mind in an unsolvable mess. None of the pieces fit together. Something was missing. She didn't remember having been with a child last night... unless...

But... no... how could that be?

The machine keeping tabs on the girl's health beeped unhelpfully in response to her body's sudden drop in temperature.

Eriol's head turned toward it swiftly as it chirped then got to his feet and walked up to her bedside, drawing up some more blankets that had been left for just such an occasion.

"Shhh... relax, Sakura... please. You can't get better if you keep freaking out like this! Think of the child!"

Sakura heart swam with a warm emotion as Eriol fussed over her. But she couldn't just let his comment drop... clearing her throat, she gathered herself together and managed to sound almost calm when she spoke again.

"Eriol, please... what child do you keep talking about?"

"Your..." Eriol bit off his automatic response and looked up from where he was tucking her in. His stormy eyes flickered with uncertainty and surprise a moment before he continued.

"Sakura, you are... pregnant." He managed roughly, his eyes swirling with barely contained disappointment.

Sakura's emerald eyes flashed wide in surprise. "That's impossible... I've never...!"

Eriol blinked and grey eyes met emerald once more. Eriol reeled from the burning clarity, unable to comprehend what Sakura could have possibly realized.

To Sakura, suddenly everything made sense, every wild dream, every fevered fantasy. The party came back to her in a rush of memories. She hadn't just dreamed it... she had really... _they_ had really...

"Eriol..." She gasped, her mind completely clear. Sharp reality hugged her from all sides... what had she done? How could she have...

Her emerald eyes flashed with pain, denial, and anger. Eriol recoiled in shock.

"Sakura?" He asked in concern, raising a hand up to feel her forehead.

Sakura slapped his hand away and did her best to roll away from him, though she couldn't go far.

"YOU... this is YOUR FAULT!" She screamed furiously, tears beginning to build up in her eyes. She had lost everything... her friends... her love...

"What?" Eriol stammered, staggering backwards from the girl on the hospital bed, the englishman's eyes contracted in confusion.

"Get OUT! _Get_ _away from me!" _She screamed.

A few nurses took that moment to rush into the room, having heard the girl screaming and a couple of them promptly escorted Eriol from the room while the others sedated poor Sakura.

/

Outside of the hospital the englishman paused, staring at the building, trying desperately to understand what had just happened.

The one woman in the whole world he had ever loved... the one person he wanted to be with more than anything... he remembered vaguely revealing his soul to the girl the night of his party.

And he remembered waiting. The last few weeks had been torture... wondering idly if the student he was smitten with was even thinking about his confession, hoping wildly that she would accept him. He had done everything in his power to be a gentleman about it. He gave her time, he let her be... when she had been cold and distant towards him he'd let it go. Surely, she was distraught... definately confused. How could she ever respond to his heart, he had wondered. She was such a caring girl, he was positive that she was having difficulty choosing between passion and comfort...

For he was certain, wholly and completely, that she could never ask for more devotion than he knew he could give her, and that the only reason she had not broken it off with her current boyfriend was that she was having a hard time accepting the fact that he, Eriol, was the right choice when she had had the brunet for so long. And he had thought he had felt her obvious choice as clear as day... the way his pulse had raced each time he had looked in her blazing green eyes... the way she fumbled whenever she was near... and when he had heard that the girl had broken up with her boyfriend, he had been so sure it was because she'd finally chosen him.

But clearly he had misread all of the signs.

_**~Rozu**_


	8. Thorn

One Night

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it.

Key:

-_Dream State_- , _Flashback_ , '_thoughts_', "Dialogue"

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: M – (For mature audiences)

Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Sakura

* * *

(Thorn)

Sakura was back in class after a few days and things seemed to be relatively normal.

Well, if normal was that the green-eyed temptress spent every second she had in class sending him ice-cold glares from across the room.

Eriol's emotions spun turbulently within his heart... what had he done to make her hate him so? Why was she so hell-bent all of the sudden on making him miserable?

Something had to be done, all of her fury was slowly driving him insane. Insane from the desire to turn back the clock until she stopped glaring at him like that... insane from the fire burning through his blood when he realized that, in spite of her fury, he knew he would die if she disappeared from his life entirely. Every moment spent in the life he had known before her had been lifeless and lacking. The world had been grey for him for so long... a neverending storm. Then one fateful morning he had walked into this classroom and when his eyes had met hers the clock had begun turning. All at once he knew happiness and sadness, joy and despair, desire and envy.

And it wasn't just like things could go back to the way they were before he had met her. No, that would have been too easy. He couldn't just slip back into the comfort of apathy, or the familiarity of solitude. Not when her image danced across his mind and reminded him how absolutely he needed her. There was only one right answer as far as he was concerned, and the solution to his problem evaded him as though he were a vile and disgusting monster.

Finally, one day as he had been sitting alone in the teacher's lounge, trying to drown himself in a cup of coffee, a student whom he had never seen before stepped cautiously into the room.

Tomoyo Daidouji had tried everything... everything she could think of that was in her power to get her best friend to confide in her. She had been patient, she had been impatient, she had been kind, she had been cruel. For weeks she'd gotten no response at all from Sakura, and now she was just flat-out being avoided. She needed advice... and so she had gone to the teacher's lounge in the hopes of finding someone older and wiser than herself to confide in.

The first thing she noticed, as she entered the lounge, was that it was largely empty of faculty, which she supposed wasn't odd for the time of day, and had almost turned around to return another day when she spotted Eriol sitting near the coffee machine. Pleased that her lack of better planning hadn't totally ruined the venture, she approached the young instructor, wondering idly what class it was that he taught... and why it was that he looked like he was just about ready to hang himself.

_'Must be having a bad day... it is getting near finals... maybe he's really busy with papers to grade. Well, I didn't come all the way here to give up now, let's see if he's willing to help me.'_

"Excuse me, sir." Tomoyo greeted politely in japanese. "Might I have a word with you? I am in need of some advice..."

Eriol raised his head from his cup of coffee and eyed the young lady for a moment. He considered her quiet poise and respectful choice of words. He brooded about how he didn't really think he would be of much help to the violet-haired girl, given that he was not in the best of moods at the moment. He realized, however, that he could not refuse her request as she clearly needed someone to talk to and it was best not to turn a student in need away. Sighing and gathering himself together as best he could, he gestured for her to take a seat across the plastic table.

"Tell me, what is bothering you, my dear?" He replied in her language.

Tomoyo thankfully took the offered chair and settled into it, folding her hands on the table top in front of her demurely before beginning.

"Well, I don't really know if you can help me... but I don't know what else to do." She began sadly, her violet eyes staring both at him and through him as she told her story.

"You see, I have this friend... we've known each other since we were toddlers. Her family and mine have been close for a long time... and my friend and I were no exception. We told each other everything, always. I have always been there to give her advice and she used to always find a way to make me smile when I was feeling sad.

Ever since the start of this semester, however, something has been different between us. All of the sudden she started hiding from me and she hardly talks to me. Everything in her life seems to be falling apart at the seams and no matter what I do or say she is slipping further and further away from me. I wish I knew what was wrong!"

Tomoyo slammed her fist against the table as she finished talking, surprising the englishman with the action. Eriol, who had been listening quietly, found that even though he didn't know this student, he somehow picked up on the fact that she was normally very reserved and rarely did things like loose her cool as she had just done.

Eriol considered what little information he'd been given for a few moments before speaking.

"You've tried to speak with her about this?"

"Yes."

"You've tried staging an intervention? Cornering her with concerned friends?"

"Yes..."

Eriol frowned, "Well... how about retracing her footsteps?"

Tomoyo blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You said that since the start of this semester, your friend has been acting differently towards you. Why don't you do a little more digging and figure out if she's made any bad friends that she's trying to keep secret from you... or a love affair that she doesn't want you to know about. Start by finding out who her teachers are, what classes she's taking. I don't know if you'll be able to find all of this out from her, but it shouldn't be too hard to find out whether or not a faculty member has her in their class. It's not like it's a secret which students are taking which classes."

Tomoyo looked thoughtful and smiled tentatively, "You know, that's not such a bad idea... and it wouldn't involve trying to talk to Sakura, which is impossible..."

"Sakura?" Eriol nearly flattened his coffee cup, his eyes widening in an instant as his hand clenched tightly around the styrofoam. Tomoyo jumped at his reaction, settling back on the edge of her seat after a moment but keeping an eye on the strange faculty member.

"Are you alright?" She asked cautiously as Eriol got himself under control.

Eriol wiped the hot coffee off of his hands with a napkin and stared out her earnestly from beneath his glasses. "I apologize, when you said... that name... I just assumed..." he stopped shook his head, and started again.

"I'm sorry, I should know better than to think that there aren't a million students named Sakura in this school..." He muttered with better control, "it is a rather common name for young girls in this country."

Tomoyo eyed him with curiosity. Such a reaction... could it be that there was more to this outburst? Tilting her head thoughtfully, she nodded,

"That's alright, no harm done. There are an awful lot of Sakura's in this school... but I have to ask, if you don't mind... why did you jump like that just now?"

Eriol avoided her curious gaze and she saw pain flash across his storm-colored eyes.

"It isn't... an appropriate topic." He muttered slowly, finding it difficult to keep his silence when every emotion in his body screamed within him for a release.

"Oh, but please!" Tomoyo insisted encouragingly, realizing this person desperately needed someone to talk to, and since she'd been deprived of helping her own friend...

"I couldn't bear to take your kindly given advice without helping you in return if I could!"

He eyed her, and she saw a deep and turbulent sadness swirling within him. Eriol met her hopeful, sympathetic gaze and sighed heavily in defeat.

"Very well..."

* * *

~**Rozu**


	9. Blood

One Night

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it.

Key:

-_Dream State_- , _Flashback_ , '_thoughts_', "Dialogue"

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: M – (For mature audiences)

Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Sakura

* * *

(Blood)

Tomoyo walked through the school with a new determination. In taking Eriol's problems under her wing she had, as far as she was concerned, officially included him in her own personal inner circle of friends. This meant that she had an obligation to help him, just as strong as the obligation she had to Sakura...

And it was just her luck that the problems of her closest friends were most likely intertwined...

He had left out many details, as he described to her how he had fallen so deeply in love with one of his own students, that Tomoyo had struggled long hours trying to fill in the gaps that he had either intentionally or unintentionally left out. But after a few days of observation, her hypotheses seemed to be spot-on.

Her first hypothesis was that the Sakura that Eriol was in love with was in fact her own Sakura. Second, given how Sakura seemed to be treating Eriol, that the surviving child in her body most likely belonged to the teacher in question, and not to 'her boyfriend' as Eriol had first made her believe when he had been telling her his story. This, second hypothesis, lead Tomoyo to a final, third hypothesis, that Sakura must therefore also be in love with the teacher (though admittedly denying it at the moment, again Tomoyo had noticed this merely by observation).

Tomoyo had spent the last few days of observation, watching, disbelieving, considering. On the one hand, she had known Sakura her whole life. And when Sakura had confessed her love to Syaoran that had seemed like the end of that for the couple. Tomoyo had been as happy as her friend had been, photographing them at every opportunity to capture their adorable blossoming romance.

On the other hand the possibility of this scandal was not something the photographer in her could easily ignore. Almost as soon as the idea had crossed her mind, images of missed opportunities to photograph their intrepid love affair nearly made her cry. -Flash- The two of them caught, kissing in a dark alleyway in the rain. -Flash- Syaoran sitting in a booth, alone, dejected and forgotten while the two, having forgotten he would be there, sat in the back of the restaurant trying desperately to hide their secret touches from the waitress who was taking their order.

Oh... it was so... _romantic_! Tomoyo's heart sobbed with despair that she would never be able to take these photographs, and her mind had to eventually give in to the fact that there was a child involved and so the possibility of it being Eriol's was impossible to ignore. However, there was no more information that she could get on the child without asking Eriol again, and since he had told her indirectly that it wasn't his she was fairly certain she wouldn't be able to get any other information from him by asking him again. As for asking Sakura...

Well... who knew if Sakura would ever talk to her again, Tomoyo mused as she washed her hands in the bathroom.

Suddenly, the object of her thoughts magically appeared in the mirror behind her, having just exited a stall. Spotting Tomoyo, Sakura's emerald eyes widened in surprise. Tomoyo froze, her hands still clasped beneath the water rushing out from the faucet.

"T-tomoyo...-chan..." Sakura stammered, looking at her uncertainly. Tomoyo observed her expression in the mirror for a moment or so before turning off the water and drying off her hands. She turned and looked at her friend directly, and waited patiently. She could feel it... the turbulent aura stirring around her friend was ready to burst...

"Oh, Tomoyo!" Sakura cried, then rushed headlong into her friend's waiting arms. Tomoyo caught her easily and held her tightly. The auburn-haired girl just sobbed into her shoulder, and Tomoyo breathed deeply with relief.

At last... her friend had finally returned to her.

"Please... please tell me that you aren't angry with me. I thought... oh I was so sure I'd been abandoned after Syaoran broke up with me... I'm so sorry." Sakura rambled, spilling more tears into Tomoyo's blouse.

Tomoyo just smiled and patted her friend's back reassuringly. "I'm just happy that you're talking to me again. You've been acting so strange for so long... I had thought that I'd lost you."

Sakura looked up, eyes still brimming with tears. "I'm so sorry, Tomoyo. I never meant to leave you out..."

Tomoyo chuckled, "Hush now... will you tell me what I've missed?"

Sakura hiccuped nervously, then she sniffled and nodded. "Of course..."

* * *

Standing outside of the bathroom door, the young chinese man overheard everything. He had just been passing by on his way to the cafeteria when he had heard the unmistakable sound of the voice of his ex-girlfriend echoing in the room just on the other side. Morbid curiousity had gotten the better of him, and without meaning to, he had paused to listen in on the conversation that was all too easy to hear.

His heart clenched in pain as he heard her talk about the way the englishman had enchanted her. How she hadn't really understood until now that she had fallen in love with him, but she had fought it for months because she had been with Syaoran at the time. He heard her as she spun her tale of hopeless attraction, how she had been unable to do anything but think of the instructor until the night of the party...

Syaoran staggered as though someone had slugged him when she told Tomoyo what had happened then. She had... but... but _they_ hadn't even... the brunet felt sick.

And then, just as he thought it couldn't get any worse...

"And now I'm carrying his child... oh Tomoyo I don't know what to do..."

Syaoran couldn't listen to any more, drunkenly he staggered down the hall with Sakura's words ringing in his ears.

A child... Sakura was pregnant. Syaoran could hardly see through his despair. He stumbled through milling students, a million thoughts buzzing through his head, circling around in his mind like a hive of bees. They stung him relentlessly until at last he collapsed against a wall, incapable of moving any further. Stuck in his own personal nightmare, there seemed to be no hope to return to reality...

That is... until he spotted a certain young instructor exit through a nearby door and make his way further down the hallway.

He matched Sakura's description as best as Syaoran could recall it, and, in a sudden spark of inspiration, got to his feet once again. He followed the englishman to his classroom in the language department, a dark idea forming within his heated mind.

_'At least... if I have to be this miserable... I don't have to be alone...' _he thought morbidly as he stepped through the classroom door.

* * *

Eriol looked up as the door to his classroom swung open behind him. He glanced at the wall clock thoughtfully. Class wasn't for another half an hour...

Curious, he looked over and studied chinese student.

"Can I help you?" Eriol asked in japanese.

Syaoran stared at him, an odd calm siezing him in the moments before he knew his revenge would be realized.

"Are you Hiiragizawa-san, the English instructor?"

Eriol smiled, completely unaware of what was to come.

"Yes, indeed I am." Eriol replied with a smile.

"If you have a moment, might I speak with you outdoors a moment?" Syaoran asked politely.

Eriol glanced again at the clock, and for a moment Syaoran was siezed by the nasty idea that he might have to execute his plan in a place surrounded by witnesses...

The moment passed as Eriol shrugged and nodded acquiescently.

"Sure, why not. Some fresh air might do me some good."

The two walked out to the expansive grounds behind the college where students liked to go to eat lunch or draw inspiration for their art classes.

Eriol followed Syaoran curiously, wondering passively what it was the student wanted to talk about that required the obscurity of the forest just beyond the green.

* * *

**~ Rozu**


	10. Unfortunate

One Night

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it.

Key:

-_Dream State_- , _Flashback_ , '_thoughts_', "Dialogue"

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: M – (For mature audiences)

Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Sakura

* * *

(Unfortunate)

Sakura headed to class as usual, twiddling her thumbs in uncertainty. She'd just had a very serious talk with Tomoyo about what she aught to do about her love affair and the child that was a product of it. Her mind swirled in an endless circle of uncertainty.

How could she tell Eriol about any of this? She wasn't the kind of girl who just went around having sex with everyone... nor the kind of girl who was interested in one night stands. Up until now, her whole life had been planned around Syaoran... how could it possibly change?

Why should she make Eriol pay for her own foolishness? According to Tomoyo, Eriol was not even consciously aware that anything had happened that night at his party. If he had no interest in her, then why shouldn't she let him enjoy the rest of his life without having to deal with her and her child?

And how was it possible that he loved her, if he'd gotten so drunk he couldn't remember what had happened... and had spent the rest of the time acting as though she wasn't special at all? Tomoyo insisted that he did... that he would want her, that he would rejoice in their child and vow to spend the rest of his life by her side... but how could he? Why would he?

A half an hour passed... no sign of the English instructor. Sakura begrudgingly drew herself out of her own head long enough to blink confusedly around the classroom. Where was he? A quick glance at the other students revealed that half of them had their eyes on the clock, and the other half on the door. Eriol had NEVER been late before...

Then, a familiar wail rose up to the second floor windows of their classroom, and the students all turned to look outside. Several flashing blue and red lights were seen streaking up the streets toward the college. Police... and paramedics? All of the students in the classes facing the street got out of their chairs to glance out the window to observe as the men in blue and red hopped out of their various vehicles and headed for the forested area just outside of the green lunch yard. Stunned eyes followed as paramedics burst out of the foliage not ten minutes later with a young male brunet lying comatose on their stretcher.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried alerting the attention of her nearby classmates who immediately starting whispering amongst themselves in wonderment of the unfolding events. Sakura heard nothing but the blaring of the sirens, saw nothing but the blood.

Blood... it was everywhere, on his face, cheeks, mouth... the sheet they had covered him in was soaked slightly in it. He'd been in a fight, that much was certain... and it was also plain to see that he had lost.

Her eyes flickered from Syaoran's unmoving form as the police burst forth from the forest not long later, and she nearly fainted. Walking stoically towards the black and white vehicles, with his wrists in handcuffs behind his back, was their instructor.

Sakura shook as she watched him go, her palms slid sweatily against the window panes as she flattened them against the glass in an effort to reach out to him. He too was covered in blood, but not nearly in as bad a shape as Syaoran. Most of his wounds looked superficial, but as she watched the police guide him into the car she had no choice but to realize that it was against him that Syaoran had lost his fight.

Feeling a bit sick, she slid down into her seat. What on earth had happened? Why would Eriol have picked a fight with Syaoran? The two had never met, so far as she knew. And if it hadn't been Eriol who picked the fight... what had been Syaoran's motive? Surely he wouldn't have fought Eriol over _her_. He had made it very clear the night of their break-up that he was not going to bother himself with her anymore.

Unless... unless he'd somehow found out that it had been Eriol whom she'd fallen in love for? But how could he? She'd never spent more than that one evening alone with the man, and Syaoran didn't know much about the classes she was taking. Had Tomoyo told him? It was possible that they'd discussed Sakura in those months that she'd been aloof and distracted...

She had to find out. If Syaoran had started it, then he deserved what he'd gotten... especially for breaking up with her the way he did. Sure, their relationship had been bound to end given the circumstances... but perhaps a fight could have been avoided if she'd had the chance to explain to him herself the changing of her heart. If it had been Eriol that started the fight, however... then it was clear she would be raising this child alone. He had no reason whatsoever to attack Syaoran, so if he had, it had to have been out of cowardice, that he might have realized the reason she had not been speaking to him had to do with Syaoran, and therefore had to destroy his competition so that she would be free to choose him, and she would not have a man like that raising an innocent child!

* * *

**~ Rozu**


	11. Decisions

One Night

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it.

Key:

-_Dream State_- , _Flashback_ , '_thoughts_', "Dialogue"

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: M – (For mature audiences)

Summary: Sometimes, things just happen, and maybe you never meant for anything to change because of those things... but sometimes you don't have a choice.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Sakura

* * *

(Decisions)

Slowly, brown eyes adjusted to the infusion of white. White light drifting in through the window... white walls surrounding the room... white blankets tucked around his form. First, there was white, and then... there was color. The light was not white, but soft and yellow, the room was more of a cream, and the girl sleeping softly in the small blue hospital chair had long auburn hair.

'Girl...' Syaoran thought sluggishly as he observed her. She had soft, familiar features, (save for where she was now showing ever so slightly around her middle) and he jogged his memory a bit until he recognized her.

"Sakura..." Gone was his rage... his thirst for revenge. Now all he could do was look at the girl as she stirred to the sound of her name, wondering what could have possessed him to do something so out of character as attack a perfect stranger.

Her emerald eyes opened and she blinked at him as he did at her, then her blank expression shifted into one of conflict. Clearly, she felt sorry for him... as one whom she had been close to, she unthinkingly and involuntarily desired to do whatever it took to make what had happened go away. He balked at her sorrow... how could she still feel for him at all after the way he'd behaved? But there was also anger in her face, and a silent demand for an explanation.

Still, the first thing she said was, "Are you alright?"

Before all else... she cared about his welfare. He turned from her bright eyes in shame.

"I don't deserve to be alive." He replied quietly.

Sakura gasped, and he felt her emotions shift instantly, dropping all anger in exchange for concern. He almost laughed, how well he still knew her... how strange he himself had turned out to be.

"Don't." He snapped as she reached forward to comfort him. "I did this to myself. If there's anything I deserve, it's this pain... not your kindness. Nor your forgiveness. I am not proud of what happened, the fight was no one's fault but my own, and I accept responsibility for it."

He heard her sigh as she dropped her hand. "They told me that you'd both dropped charges. They still made Eriol go back home to England though. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye."

He was surprised that there was still no anger in her voice. He didn't know that they'd deported the Englishman... she aught to be furious. This was his fault...

Slowly, he rolled back to face her, searching for the anger that should have been in her eyes, should have been in her voice.

"...He's... he's gone?" Syaoran managed lamely, wondering what he could say to make the sadness leave her face.

Sakura shrugged, "They plan to send you home too, once you've rested enough."

Syaoran frowned, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be on a plane by now trying to catch up with your... with him..." He restrained the sudden flame of anger that possessed him, now was not the time for that. He silently wished he'd had as much restraint before.

Suddenly, the anger he'd been searching for flared on her face, mixed with sadness and hopelessness. "Oh, yeah... there's a brilliant idea. Catch a flight to a country I've never been to, on a whim. With no idea where I'm going once I get there."

Syaoran blinked at her in surprise, still frowning, "Can't you just call him or something? Have him pick you up at the airport?"

Sakura sadness overtook him. He lay there stunned for a moment, as he realized what her lack of response had to mean.

"How..." He choked. She stared at her feet.

"I never had a chance..." She whispered. "I fought it for so long... fought him... fought my own feelings... I didn't want anything to change." She looked up at him, her eyes flooded with loss and endless pain.

"I didn't want to loose you... I had everything... and now..." tears trickled down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes "now I've lost everything. I never took the time to find out his feelings... never spent a moment learning who he was or where he lived. And now he's gone..." she sank to the floor beside his bed and sobbed. "He's gone and there's no way I will ever be able to get him back."

Syaoran watched her as she cried, agonizing over her plight... over how he'd caused all of it. Then, a brief flicker of hope dared dance across his heart, and pain flared anew within him. How could he hope for anything... how could he dare?

Still, now that the thought had crossed his mind...

"You haven't lost... everything." He whispered softly, reaching out and stroking her hair. She looked up at him, teary eyed.

"I know it isn't the same... you love him. But I can take care of you and your child... if you'll let me."

"Syaoran..." She breathed in disbelief. "I could never ask you to..."

"I know. But please... I love you, and even if I can't have your heart... I couldn't bear to leave you alone. This whole mess is my fault... I'd never be able to live with myself if I didn't try to fix it."

"I don't know if I can say it was all your fault. I am as much to blame as anyone." Sakura muttered.

"Please?" Syaoran repeated, and as Sakura looked up into his fierce chocolate eyes, she realized she didn't have the strength to turn him down. To do so would mean life as a single mother, which she knew would be lonely and hard. Syaoran was offering her a way out of such a future... and she had loved him once, after all. Would it be so terrible to share her life with him?

"Thank you." She said quietly, accepting her fate. And as Syaoran smiled at her with all of the devotion she'd ever known him to show, she knew she'd made the right choice.

_**Fin**_

* * *

**~ Rozu**


End file.
